Making Your Home A Haven: Day 1... Clutter

One of the blogs I enjoy reading The Homespun Heart is devoting this week to "Making Your Home A Haven". Check out Monica's blog- this is so encouraging to tackle some of the areas we avoid or may become overwhelmed with. There are endless opportunities for our home to benefit from this challenge! I am looking forward to this and I hope the results will be a blessing for my family.

Lord, Thank you for this day and all that you are doing in my life. I pray for wisdom and guidance this week as I dedicate this undertaking to you...for how you desire this home to operate. I praise you in advance for your grace that will carry me through some of these areas. I ask that I will see myself as you see me. At the end of this week, I am believing you will have transformed some areas in my life that in the past I have chosen to turn away from. My desire is to please you with a willing heart and fully assume the role you have given to me in this home as a wife, mother, teacher & friend. I ask for you to bless each person who is participating and I pray for unity in their homes and fruit to abound as a result from this. I pray for your provision in all areas of their lives. I give you all the Glory Lord...thank you for your love! In Jesus' Name- Amen

Today is all about: CLUTTER . I have several areas that I accumulate this and some of those areas have no 'homes' for all these things. Our home does not have a lot of storage, yet I know a lot of this could just be disposed of.

My challenge with all of this is time management. I am looking forward to "planning" in several areas of day to day life. This I believe is the one thing holding up everything else. I must commit to a schedule (more than a daily to- do list) and then I know the habits will soon follow.

Currently, I get up very early with my husband (5:30 am) make his lunch, iron a shirt (if needed) and sit down to join him in reading the Word and having coffee. We always pray before he leaves for work. On his drive into work, I read The Daily Bread daily devotional. Then I have my quiet time in the Word before the girls are up. From then on there are no set times with anything else. In the process of an unplanned day somehow schooling, eating, household chores, etc. are completed. However, not in an efficient and orderly way (as I desire) or a way that I desire for our girls to be taught.

There are also some roles in the home that I have not assumed responsibility for...thankfully, I am extemely blessed with an amazing Husband. This does not lighten the load of conviction that weighs on my heart though. :) I know I can do more...and the Word says... I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

I am excited and encouraged by the challenges and possibilities this week holds. One thing is for sure...God is so Good!!

I will tackle the linen closet and the kitchen counter today. Here are the before & after pictures...

Before & ...

After!

It took a while to go through all of this paperwork. I am very pleased with what I was able to complete today. There are still several things that I need to file...no complaints! This was a huge blessing to be a part of this project. It was very motivating and good to have the accountability. I feel so much better already and that was just one part of this room! I'll save the draws full of more stuff for another day :)

Before & ...

After!

This took a long while to complete. I would still like to go back again and go through the bins on the very top shelf. There wasn't enough time to go through and toss out what was outdated or unused. I wound up with 1- 1/2 wastebaskets full of trash from old & outdated items. Then I was able to assign each bin for a particular use...medicine & toiletries, haircare, and hands & feet. Now when something is needed right away, I or my hubby can go right in and get it. Instead of wondering if we still have it or not? :)

It was a great evening...after dinner we finished watching the third disc of Christy. I really love this series! Everyone was in bed earlier tonight too...except for me. :) I am looking forward to tomorrow~ Good Night.

Thanks again Monica for leading this! Lord thank you for guiding me through this day and blessing me with your favor to complete these tasks. I have enjoyed walking through this day with you and meditating on the fact that there are no limitations with you.